I almost left these guys out of my report

I think they're guys.....when they are accused of having hearts made of stone, it's probably true....

one more time

Tanisha likes these fluffy white chickens, so this is for her.......

a few more from Western Springs

Check out these awesome black swans! And their babies, who are not black yet.....and the lovely path.......

more from Western Springs

I took lots of pictures so you get to see them. I hope you like park pictures.......the first is of a round plaque placed in the ground in a tribute to a "Circle of Friends" who had something to do with the creation of a lovely path through the park named--get this--"Circle of Friends Path" , then the next two are of trees and bodies of water and then a candid shot of an innocent passerby.

continuing......

So, one day last week (was it last week? The days are running together to me) we asked Adia what she wanted to do that day, and she said she didn't care, we should decide. So we stopped for a late breakfast at one of the local bakeries (surprise) where I was amused by the sign that advertised "Mexican Nachos" and instructed people to ask inside for details. What details? Would the staff confess that they really weren't genuine Mexican nachos? Would they hand out recipes? Once again I was tempted to ask impertinent questions, but Tanisha made me behave, with the reminder that she has to live here and I get to go back to the States, leaving her to deal with irate cafe owners......

Our next stop was the beautiful Western Springs Lakeside Park, (hence the sign) and I had a one woman picture-taking extravaganza. The picture is of a bird that apparently is very common in New Zealand called a "pukeko" but don't hold me to an exact spelling. Then I took a picture of this wonderful weeping willow tree, merely because I love weeping willow trees. It is all about me, you know.

bad blogger, bad blogger!!

I have fallen behind in my efforts to keep everyone abreast of current events. Where to start now?

1. Phillip sporting his fabulous Father's Day tie, a handmade gift from Richard. Father's Day is celebrated in August in New Zealand.
2. The Hamilton Temple--I was there the day before Father's Day with Phillip's mother Rachel.
3. The boys playing with the stroller meant for dolls.......

scenes from visit to Auckland

The above photos were taken when Tanisha, Adia & I visited downtown Auckland. The second photo was of the inside of the bakery/cafe where we ate lunch. These bakeries are all over and they are different from bakeries in the US. While there are sweets, there are more non-sweet items, like quiches and savouries and meat pies. I tried what they said was an individual pizza and it was not what I expected. It wasn't bad--just different. But I had my favorite (or favourite, as we say over here*smile*) beverage, Lift, and all was well!